The present invention relates generally to information systems and more particularly to presenting information to mobile targets.
Merchants spend vast sums each year attempting to deliver appropriate advertisements to a receptive audience. These merchants use many different marketing techniques and forms of media to present effective advertisements. Each day these advertisements flood our society through traditional methods such as billboards, television, and radio and through new high-tech media such as the Internet. However, merchants are consistently challenged to craft effective advertisements and to deliver these advertisements to a receptive audience.
In accordance with the present invention, techniques for presenting information to mobile targets are provided which substantially eliminate or reduce disadvantages and problems associated with previous techniques. In a particular embodiment, the present invention satisfies a need for a mobile advertising apparatus that determines a physical location and presents a selected advertisement based on the physical location.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile advertising apparatus includes a location device that determines a physical location of the apparatus, a controller that determines an advertisement based on the physical location, and an output device that presents the advertisement. More specifically, the mobile advertising apparatus may use a global positioning system (GPS) unit as the location device.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an advertising system includes a memory storing advertisements, an output device, and a controller for use in sending advertising to mobile advertising targets within an effective range of the output device. The controller identifies the mobile advertising targets, determines audience information associated with the mobile advertising targets, and selects one of the stored advertisements based on the audience information. The output device then presents the selected advertisement.
The invention provides a number of technical advantages. Using these techniques, merchants and advertisers may more effectively present advertisements to moving targets. For example, a mobile dynamic billboard, by determining its physical location, may present advertisements appropriate for that geographic region, such as for restaurants, hotels, or gas stations in the area. These advertisements may also be linked to specific times of day, such as advertisements for restaurants at dinner time and hotels later at night. In addition, these advertising systems may select advertisements based on audience information of mobile advertising targets. For example, the system may determine information associated with cars in a position to view an advertisement and display an advertisement based on that information. The advertisement displayed may then change as the composition of the audience changes. Thus, these advertising systems may present highly focused advertisements selected by combining location, time, audience, and/or other suitable information.
These advertisement systems may also be integrated into vehicles. For example, a dynamic billboard may be positioned on a long-haul truck, with an advertisement displayed based on location, time, and/or audience information. This dynamic billboard may be integrated with currently available systems on some vehicles, such as tracking devices and communications equipment. In addition, advertisements may link to additional information and services delivered by these advertising systems. For example, an advertisement for a song could direct a recipient to tune to a radio station to hear a sample or to visit a website to download an MP3 sample of the song. These examples clarify only particular advantages of the present invention. Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.